Shotmaking

What Makes A Golf Swing Great

As an instructor with over 50 years of teaching experience, I’ve seen my fair share of golf swings—both good and bad. Most of the bad swings I see are marred by basically the same series of mistakes. Similarly, good motions are defined by several, rock-solid commonalities that, if you know what to look for, stand out like a sore thumb on a tiny hand.

I met Todd Fischer at the 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills. Though Todd wasn’t playing competitively at the time, he owned the type of swing that you would define as great as soon as you saw him start his backswing. We worked a little, and soon thereafter he stormed through a season and a half on the Nationwide Tour, ultimately securing his PGA Tour card and posting two top tens in his rookie season.

What makes Todd’s swing so great? What does it possess that yours doesn’t? Before you get too down on yourself, take solace in the fact that Todd is a golfer who has simply worked hard to get to the position he enjoys today. He wasn’t a prodigy or a freak of nature who could break par before he could walk. He joined the elite ranks by focusing on the chain of events—beginning with the setup—that lead to centered, powerful contact, applying the mechanics of the modern golf swing as well as a few homemade moves. It’s a swing that works, and is rife with the elements all great swings share and from which you can learn.

Balance
When you look at a great golfer swing the club, the first thing that stands out is their balance. Compare that to your own motion or to one of the lesser-skilled members of your foursome, who’s constantly falling backward, forward, away and to the target. If all of my students swung with an attempt to maintain balance instead of killing the golf ball, they’d drop five strokes immediately.

Balance throughout the swing is created by a proper setup, one that features the following ingredients: A) Head positioned behind the ball with the right shoulder situated slightly below the left and both shoulders aligned parallel left of target; B) Neutral hands (positioned just inside the left leg) and knees slightly flexed (stacking the chest, knees and toes); and C) Feet positioned slightly wider than shoulder width, providing a solid foundation.

Takeaway
A great takeaway features a clubhead that travels straight back along the target line with the face remaining pointed at the golf ball until the wrists hinge. This can only be accomplished by syncing the hands and shoulders.

Another aspect of a good takeaway (and swing, in general) is that the arms remain in front of the chest. Also, notice how the knees remain flexed, with the left knee pointing at the golf ball. This helps produce a tighter coil at the top.

At The Top
If you’re great at the top, your chances of success increase dramatically. Notice: A) Todd’s left shoulder has rotated to a point directly below his chin (the right will replace it on the downswing), the left wrist has kept from cupping and the right forefinger supports the club; B) The shaft lies parallel to the ground and directly above the right shoulder; C) The right knee has willingly accepted the transfer of weight and held off the tendency to straighten; and D) The left knee is still pointing at the golf ball.

The key to a great top position is to rotate your body behind the ball within the circle defined_Ê by your hips. It’s also critical to maintain your spine angle—no lifting of the torso required. Think of keeping your left shoulder as low as possible.

Downswing
Great swings ultimately end up here, with the club arriving at the ball from inside the target line, the butt end of the club pointing at the golf ball and the shaft lying neatly between the two forearms. If you’re not right here, you won’t maximize your results.

From the top, Todd, like all great swingers of the golf club, unleashes stored energy into the ball by simply unwinding, with the right shoulder rotating down the target line and under the chin. This rapid yet controlled uncoiling occurs without any head movement.

Impact is often referred to as the moment of truth in the golf swing. In my opinion, this lofty title more appropriately describes the downswing. Impact is but a natural result of what occurred on the way back down to the ball. If your downswing sequence is solid, your contact with the ball will be, too.

_ÊYour priority in the downswing is to keep the clubshaft on the proper plane. You’ll know when you’re on the correct path when the shaft sits between your forearms midway down. One key for achieving this state is to keep your left shoulder from spinning open too quickly. Your shoulders and hips (following the lead of your hands) should turn in sync, and then keep turning. Also, stay planted! Great swings feature spine angles that are rigid, knees that remain flexed and a steady head.

Impact
Great golfers produce great contact. Here’s what I look for:
A) The right side sits slightly lower than the left, which forms a wall to hit through (notice how Todd’s left shoulder, left arm, left hip and the shaft form a straight line).

B) The hands have returned to the same position they held at address, with the left wrist as flat as it can be and both hands leading the clubhead into the ball.

C) The right foot has transferred weight to the left without the body or head moving ahead of the ball.

Postimpact
Once you’ve made contact with the ball, the swing is hardly over. You must continue to unwind and get everything—hands, hips and club—left of your target line. Notice how, in the release, Todd’s arms are fully extended and the right hand has rotated over the left. Great. His finish is even better, defined by extreme balance, a straight back and even knees.

Teaching legend Marshall Smith instructs at Peoria Ridge GC in northeast Oklahoma.

Become A Shotmaking Artist

The one constant in the game of golf is that each round is different. Weather conditions, course conditions, course layout and even a golfer’s physical and mental state on a given day create a unique set of challenges. That means that to play well you have to learn to adapt. Golfers who maximize their scoring potential know how to do things like shape the ball around the corner of a dogleg, handle uneven lies on a hilly course, and hit the ball back in play from under low-hanging branches. Being able to change your strategy and technique to execute shots under conditions like these qualifies you as a shotmaker–and that’s when you’re really playing golf.

Put A New Spin On Your Game
One of the basics of shotmaking is understanding the art of applying spin to the golf ball in special ways. If you understand the way in which spin influences the flight of the ball, you’ll have a better chance at intentionally applying that spin when you need it. Because the shortest route between your ball and the target isn’t always a straight line, being able to curve the ball at will is a must for maximizing your scoring potential.

Fading The Ball
Clockwise sidespin makes the ball move from left to right. You impart this type of spin when the ball is struck with an open clubface relative to your swing path. As such, the easiest way to intentionally produce a shot that fades from left to right is to preset the appropriate clubface angle and swing path at address.

To fade the ball, aim your body (feet, knees, hips and shoulders) slightly left of your target or where you want the ball to start out. Now, open the clubface slightly and grip the golf club so that the clubface is aimed directly at the target–or where you want the ball to end up.

Because you swing along the path established by your body alignments, the club travels on an out-to-in path relative to the target line, starting the ball left of the target. However, because the clubface is open relative to the swing path, left-to-right sidespin is produced, curving the ball gently back to the target. Because the bottom of the swing is more forward than normal due to the open stance, position the ball slightly ahead of normal. Also, firm up the grip pressure in both hands slightly to prevent the clubface from closing too soon through the hitting area. A fade produces a shot that flies higher and stops faster with little roll once it hits the ground, so consider taking one more club than normal. It’s as simple as that.

Drawing The Ball
A shot that curves from right to left naturally demands a setup position that’s opposite of that for one that curves left-to-right. First, align your body slightly right of your target or in the direction you want the ball to start out. Now, grip the club so the clubface is slightly closed and aimed at the target or where you want the ball to finish. This closed body alignment promotes a takeaway that will be more to the inside than usual, resulting in a swing path that travels from inside-to-out and imparts counterclockwise spin. The path and counterclockwise spin will cause the ball to start out right, then draw back in toward the target. The more curve you want, the more you aim to the right, keeping the clubface aimed at your intended target. Because a closed stance effectively moves the bottom of the swing behind where it is normally, the ball position should be slightly back in your stance. Grip pressure should be a little lighter than normal in both hands, encouraging the clubface to close sooner through the hitting area. Since the clubface closes down at impact when you play a draw, you’ll get a lower ballflight with more overspin than a straight shot. The trajectory will be lower and the ball won’t fly as far in the air, but it will roll farther once it hits the ground.

Play The Over-Under
Trajectory control is just as important to playing great golf as being able to curve the ball left or right. Mastering the high and low shots will help you escape trouble, hit the ball low on a windy day or hit a high shot over an obstacle or into an elevated green.

Low Shot
To keep the ball low, you’re going to use a partial swing, so you’ll want to use more club than you would normally for the same distance. In other words, if your standard 150-yard club is a 7-iron, but you’re playing a low-trajectory shot, drop down to a 6-iron or even a 5-iron. Start by gripping down one or two inches on the handle–you’ll need this for the control this shot demands. Stand an inch or two closer to the ball to compensate for the shorter length of the club, and be sure to grip with firm pressure in both hands. A tighter grip pressure will help delay the release of the clubhead and produce a lower trajectory. As you address the ball, position your upper body directly on top of your lower with your shoulders almost level and move the ball back to the center of your stance to ensure that you’ll strike the ball first with a descending blow. Set your hands slightly ahead of the ball. A forward hand position will naturally de-loft the clubface, helping to start the ball on a low trajectory. As with any golf shot, the length of the backswing is relative to the overall length of the shot. Concentrate on making a smooth swing with a slightly slower tempo on the forwardswing. A slower tempo will produce less spin, helping to keep the ball on a low trajectory. Stay level with your hips as you swing through the hitting area. Feel as though the handle of the club leads the clubhead through the hitting area to prevent adding loft to the shot.

Here’s a great swing key to keep in mind: A low shot means a low finish. The lower you want to hit it, the lower you want to finish, not only with the hands and arms, but with the clubhead as well. With a low finish, the backswing will always be slightly longer than the forwardswing. It’s important to remember that even though you have a low finish with the arms and club, you still must fully rotate your body toward the target.

High Shot
If you plan to hit a high shot, you’ll need at least one extra club to cover the necessary distance. For example, if you’re at your 8-iron distance, use a 7-iron to produce the same yardage, but with a high trajectory. If you’re preparing to hit a high shot to negotiate a tree or other obstacle, however, keep in mind that you’ll need a club with enough loft to get the ball in the air quickly. Circumstances may require you to simply take a wedge and hit your ball back in the fairway and in position for the next shot.

Play the ball about an inch forward of your normal ball position to add effective loft to the club you’ve selected. The key to hitting the ball high is staying behind it from start to finish. To help you stay behind the shot, increase your spine tilt at address by lowering your right shoulder. Increasing your spine tilt will position more weight on your right side and will help you add loft. Remember, the finish position matches the shot trajectory. A high shot requires a high finish.

As you begin the forwardswing, make a conscious effort to stay behind the ball with your upper body and swing along the shoulder tilt you established at address. It should feel as though your weight is lagging back on the right side. Increase your tempo on the forwardswing slightly to squeeze an extra five to 10 yards out of the shot.

The World Isn’t Flat
Though golf courses aren’t flat, most golfers hone their fundamentals on the even, manicured surfaces of a driving range. In order to successfully take your skills to the course, however, you need to adapt to many different types of playing conditions–including hilly, sloping terrain.

Ball Above Feet
When playing a shot with the ball above your feet, the club will naturally approach impact from the inside and close down as you swing through the hitting area. When the clubface closes through the hitting area, it effectively de-lofts the club, sending the ball lower and more to the left.

You should be able to use one club less because the lie creates a lower, hooking shot that will roll more once it hits the ground. Start by gripping down on the club to accommodate the severity of the slope. Position the ball just as you would for a normal shot. Be sure to allow for the potential right-to-left movement of this shot when you aim your clubface and body. Distribute your weight evenly between your heels and toes and stand taller to accommodate the slope.

Make a three-quarters backswing, keeping your upper body level going back. It’s best to think of sweeping the ball. In fact, a baseball swing is a great image to have for this shot to make sure your body stays nice and level.

Ball Below Feet
Of all the uneven lies, the most challenging is the hanging lie. The first thing you need to know is how the ball is going to react. A good rule of thumb is that the ball tends to go in the direction of the slope. From a hanging lie, the ball will tend to drift to the right because the slope effectively increases your spine tilt, making your swing more upright, and when your swing is upright, it’s more difficult to square the face through the hitting area. The slope of the ground also makes the effective lie of the club flatter–another element that encourages a left-to-right ball flight. Start by using more club to account for the left-to-right shape that this shot generally produces and hold the club at the end of the handle. You’ll need the entire length of the club to swing down and through the ball. Widen your stance to shoulder width and increase your knee flex to bring you down to the ball. Align the clubface along the line on which you want the ball to start and then set your body perpendicularly to the clubface. Ball position should be normal.

Uphill Lie
An uphill lie increases the effective loft of the club you’re using, making the shot fly higher and shorter than normal. Start by taking one or possibly two more clubs than normal. Just as with the downhill shot, set up with your spine perpendicular to the slope and shoulders parallel to the ground. This will set more weight on your back foot. With your body arranged to match the slope, you’re prepared to swing down the slope going back and up the slope on the forwardswing. From an uphill lie, you’ll be fighting gravity on the forwardswing, making it harder to transfer your weight to your front foot. Play the ball where you would normally from a level lie and flare your left foot slightly to help your body unwind to the target and encourage weight transfer. It’s natural for your arms to swing a little faster than your body, closing the face of the club a little sooner than from a level lie. That means the ball tends to hook a little more, so take that into account when you’re aiming your clubface and body.

Downhill Lie
Set up with your spine perpendicular to the slope and shoulders parallel to the ground so you can swing up the slope on the backswing and down the slope on the forwardswing. The arrangement of your body will favor the creation of an upright swing and make it more difficult to square the face through the hitting area–that’s why a shot from a downhill lie tends to curve a little to the right. To help shallow the plane and encourage a swing that’s a little more around your body, drop your right foot back to close your stance slightly and match up the ball position to your stance by putting it about two inches back of normal.

The best advice I can give for a downhill shot is to swing down the slope. Some golfers respond to gravity and momentum by taking a step down the slope and toward the target after hitting the ball, and that’s okay. It’s an indication that you’re doing what you need to do–hitting the ball first and then the ground as you swing down the slope.

Flop Shots
There’s no more useful–and spectacular–shot around the green than the flop shot. At least once or twice during a round of golf, you encounter conditions around the green that require a high, soft shot that stops quickly once it hits the green. Following are two ways to execute the flop shot, based on the condition of the lie, the overall distance and trajectory the shot requires, and the amount of green you have to work with.

One-Lever Flop
The one-lever flop is easy to play and provides a good foundation for learning the standard flop because it uses the_Ê same setup and swing adjustments. It’s a shot used from close range and is great for popping the ball over the collar to a close-cut pin or when the green slopes away.

Use a sand or lob wedge and open the face significantly (open your stance until the face again lies perpendicularly to the target line). Use a light grip pressure and grip down one or two inches for control and stand closer to the ball, about the same distance you gripped down.

I call this the one-lever flop because it requires a one-lever swing. That means there’s little or no hinge in the wrists as you swing back. Instead, use the arms to swing the club back along the line of your shoulders. On the forwardswing, let the clubhead work down into the grass as you slide the club underneath the ball.

The key to this shot is the hit-and-resist finish. Hold the one-lever position through the impact area to keep from releasing the club and closing the clubface.

The Basic Flop
While the one-lever flop is a great weapon to have, there are times when it just doesn’t fit the situation. You need a bigger swing that will require more wrist hinge when you’re in heavy rough, have an obstacle to carry (like a large bunker or swale) or need to create more spin.

The setup is the same for the basic flop as for the one-lever shot. To carry the ball farther with more spin, the swing needs to be a little longer and faster. Hinge your wrists early as you take the club away, swinging along the line of your shoulders. At the top of the swing, the clubshaft should be nearly vertical, with the butt end of the club pointing to the ground.

Just as with the one-lever flop, it’s important to hold the clubface open as you swing through the hitting area in the same hit-and-resist fashion to prevent the clubface from closing. Control the distance of this shot with the length of your followthrough.

Recovery Mission
Taking an unplayable lie doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion when you hit a shot that lands in a tough spot. All you need is a couple of shots that can spark your imagination and means for recovery. Here are two shots to use in these tough situations, one that’s perfect when your backswing is restricted and the other for when your forwardswing is restricted. The circumstances under which they can be used are only limited by your imagination.

Stop & Go
If you’re like most players, you’ve always tried to handle restricted backswing shots by taking multiple practice swings, gradually reworking your swing until you don’t hit the branch or stake. The problem is that when you try to hit the ball, you almost always revert to your standard swing and catch the object anyway. The stop-and-go shot eliminates this problem by taking any potential surprises out of the swing.

Adopt a standard setup with a slight choke on the grip. Move the ball about an inch back in your stance to ensure solid contact. Swing back to your stopping point and hold your position. That’s it–stop! Now, initiate the forwardswing with the hands, arms and upper body rotating down and through the ball together. The timing for this shot will require some practice, but don’t be afraid to try it.

Explosion
The explosion is the go-to shot when your followthrough is restricted. You need the explosion shot to extract your ball from a buried lie in the lip of a bunker or from really tall grass.

The explosion shot requires a sharp, descending blow, which minimizes as much material between the clubface and ball as possible. Start by gripping down on the club two inches and play the ball just right of center, with your hands set slightly ahead of the ball. The key to creating a steep, descending angle is to set up with 80 percent of your weight on your left side and leave it there throughout the swing.

Make a full backswing using your hands and arms to lift the club up sharply during the takeaway. Swing down, leading with your hands. Because your forwardswing is restricted, your followthrough will be low, with your hands ahead of the clubhead. The key to this shot is a relaxed, easy tempo on the forwardswing, letting your arms drop and creating gradual acceleration. Don’t make the mistake of using too much force,_Ê which makes distance control very difficult.

To learn more about these and other great stroke-saving shots, check out The Scrambler’s Dozen: 12 Shots Every Golfer Needs To Score Like The Pros, by Mike McGetrick with Tom Ferrell, published by Harper-Collins. Senior Instruction Editor and 1999 PGA Teacher of the Year Mike McGetrick previously owned and operates the McGetrick Golf Academy, located outside Denver, Colo., now Metagolf Learning Center. LPGA Class A member and author Lana Ortega is also based in Colorado; visit her site at www.lanaortegagolf.com.

5 Driving, 5 Wedge Play and 5 Putting Mistakes

Mistakes–we’re all going to make them, especially on the golf course. Luckily, this isn’t a game that demands perfection. Even on Tour, low scores can be had without being perfect on every swing. The key is to limit the mistakes that can cause the most damage and jump on scoring opportunities whenever they arise.

At the highest level, on-course mistakes typically take the form of a slight mis-hit or an error in club selection. Within the recreational ranks, however, mistakes run the gamut from poor mechanics to poor course strategy. However, you don’t need an overhaul of your swing to keep many of these mistakes at bay and, certainly, there’s no need to correct them all. It’s a simple matter of fixing the ones that produce the type of results from which recovery is impossible. I’ll address 15 of these over the next several pages, encompassing the areas of driving, wedge play and putting. By doing so, you’ll be in better position off the tee–a blessing for most recreational players–and have greater ability to get the ball close and into the hole.

Driving
Driving is paramount to success. As you probably know, the flood of low scores on Tour is fueled by longer, more accurate drives that leave shorter approaches into the green. Eliminating common driving mistakes will leave you with the same, welcomed proposition.

Mistake #1: Equipment
A big mistake recreational players make when driving occurs even before the swing is begun–more specifically, even before the round has begun. Some golfers are dead-set in their belief that a driver should feature no more than nine degrees of loft. Most recreational players would be better served by a driver with 11 or even 12 degrees of loft for several reasons.

One, more loft creates more backspin, and more backspin means less sidespin and, thus, less slice and hook. Second, it’s becoming apparent that it’s easier to create optimal launch conditions with a high-lofted driver. Many Tour players and long-drive competitors are increasing the lofts on their drivers to create the higher angle associated with optimal launch. Also, don’t make the mistake of thinking you need a stiffer shaft than what your swing realistically needs. If you’re not sure what flex is right for you, err on the flexier side. A key component of successful driving is getting the face square and through the golf ball, which is more easily accomplished with a softer flex. If the shaft is too stiff, you’ll have to make compensations to get that head to turn over.

Mistake #2: Level Shoulders
I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before, but I’ll repeat it anyway: A good golf swing follows an inside-out path on the downswing. The opposite type of path will always produce poor results unless you plan for it. There are many theories on how to create an in-out path, and that’s the problem–you can’t create path. It simply happens in response to how you move your body in the downswing–more specifically, how you move your shoulders. If you keep your shoulders level during the downswing, your club can’t trace an inside-out path, regardless of the quality of their rotation.

To keep the club on the correct plane, your left shoulder must rock up as your right shoulder turns underneath your chin as you approach impact. When I teach this to most of my students, the common reaction is to overemphasize the rock up, which causes the right shoulder to drop severely and hit the ball fat. The rock up must be paired with rotation. In a good golf swing, the right shoulder moves underneath the chin and through to the finish.

Mistake #3: Too Much Body
While it’s true that your lower body should pivot during the swing to hit the ball powerfully, it’s not what generates power and speed in the swing. That’s the role of the hands. They’re the fastest part of your body–it’s imperative that you use them to your advantage.

Swing with an attempt to propel the club by the movement of your hands and simply allow the rest of your body to turn with them. It’s a much simpler swing than what’s taught by other instructors, and simplicity will help keep mistakes at bay. During practice, try hitting balls with your feet together. You’ll find that your drives travel just as far as they do when you swing from a wide stance with lots of hip action. You’ll also find it easier to swing the club on-plane. Keep your lower body quiet–active legs are for the dance floor.

Mistake #4: No Control
Forget what you see on TV–you don’t need a massive shoulder turn and a parallel shaft at the top to play the game of golf. The key is to maneuver your body so that you’re in control of the clubhead at all times.

To attain such control, unify your backswing. With your hands acting as lead, rotate your shoulders, arms and chest to a comfortable stop, which, if your flexibility allows, should be when the left shoulder sits above the right thigh. Once you’re set, simply unwind that rotation, again, leading with the hands. A good swing thought is to turn your left shoulder under your chin on the backswing, and the right shoulder under the chin on the downswing. Keep it simple and you’ll find more than your fair share of fairways.

Mistake #5: Poor Alignment
Poor alignment is evident in 90% of amateur swings, and I can’t blame you for it. Today’s longer-shafted drivers force golfers to stand further away from the ball, which makes alignment difficult. A good way to ingrain proper alignment is to place guide clubs on the ground when you hit balls on the range. This will help you feel how your feet should be positioned relative to the target you select. Have a friend check your hip and shoulder lines from behind you. Often, even if the feet are aligned properly, the shoulders and hips will be open. This sets the stage for a slice path.

Wedge Play
I love wedge shots. With wedges, you have the greatest chance of hitting the ball close to the hole. They set up birdie chances and can turn bogey into par real quick. For most recreational players, the wedge shot is feared because it demands a steep, out-in path. And the extra bounce on wedges makes it easy to hit the ball thin, especially from tight lies. A quick review of common mistakes should easily put these fears to rest, however.

Mistake #1: High-Fiving
One of my favorite lessons is, In golf, you shake hands like a gentleman. Most golfers, however, high five. In other words, they swing from low to high following impact.

In all swings, hit down and through the ball so that in the postimpact position, your hands are still below your waist. For better wedge shots, follow impact by shaking hands with your target.

Mistake #2: Poor Setup
It seems so simple, but many recreational players hurt their chances for solid contact by not properly setting up to the golf ball, especially with a pitching or sand wedge in their hands. A major setup mistake golfers make when playing a wedge shot is standing too far away from the ball. It’s a short club, so stand a little closer and in an upright posture. Since you won’t have time to get your left side out of the way, play from an open stance, with your front foot pulled back. And always make sure your right elbow is against your right side. If the elbow gets away from the body, you’ll lose control of the clubhead, and since swings with wedges are much shorter than those with your other irons, you won’t have time to recover.

Mistake #3: Open Clubface
If the face of your wedge is open, and you’re not prepared for it, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. It’s a mistake that far too many amateur golfers make. The extra loft of the wedge makes it a bit more difficult to determine if the face is closed, open or square, a problem further complicated by the fact that most golfers look at the toe of the club to square the face to the target line.

To align your clubhead properly, focus on the leading edge, not the toe. The leading edge should bisect an imaginary line running from your ball to the target. This probably sounds elementary, but I bet you’ve played a few shots with an open face without your knowing about it. It happens to everybody. One reason why is that most wedge shots are played from the back of the stance. With the ball played from this position, it’s even easier to forgetfully allow the clubface to slide open to the target.

Mistake #4: Yardage Control
How many times, from 75 yards, did you come up 15 yards short or 15 yards long? I bet it’s more than you’d like to admit. Erring by that much from such short distance is unforgivable. Good wedge players know how to hit the ball specific distances. The key is practice.
_Ê
Use a session on the range to find out how far you hit each wedge with backswings that stop at knee-high, waist-high and shoulder-high. Once you have this inventory of shots, you’ll know how far to take the club back when you’re faced with a specific yardage on the course. Remember, the length of your backswing, not the force of your swing, controls how far you hit a wedge. Set the length, then accelerate through impact.

Mistake #5: Overactive Legs
Watch any Tour player make a short-game swing and one thing should jump out: The legs of the golfer are dead. The smooth, unhurried, even tempo of a short swing doesn’t require a ton of leg action. In fact, if you set up properly with a slightly open stance, you shouldn’t need any leg action at all.

For most wedge swings, power the club exclusively with your hands and arms. Above all, don’t shift laterally or flail your hips open as if you’re trying to crush the ball 300 yards. The short game is all about control, so stay in control and keep those legs quiet. Plus, since wedge shots require a shorter, slower swing, there isn’t enough time to maneuver the hips closed, then open, before impact.

Putting
Putting is for scoring. You won’t need to drive the ball on every hole, and you don’t need an accurately placed wedge shot on every hole, either. What you do need is a solid putting stroke, one that continually gets the ball within tap-in range at the very worst. If we all three-putted less, our scores would be much lower without having to make a single change to our full swings. Avoid these mistakes on the putting green at all costs.

Mistake #1: Putterhead Deceleration
You have a three-foot putt to win a match on the final hole. It’s a straight putt. A no-brainer. But it comes up short or drifts just below the right edge. What happened? If you’re like the majority of recreational players, you decelerated, the worst of all putting errors. It’s easy to do on short putts, where we’ve all been guilty of trying to baby the ball into the hole.

Your putting stroke, regardless of the length of the putt, should always be accelerating at a constant rate. The manner in which you alter distance is by changing the length of your backstroke and throughstroke. Whatever the length, your putterhead should gain speed through the contact zone.

Mistake #2: Open Face
You can’t set up to putt with an open face. If you do, you’ll miss to the right every time (for a right-handed golfer), regardless of the quality of your stroke.

Look to the leading edge of the putterhead to align your putter perpendicularly to the target line, or make use of the club’s painted sight lines or natural aiming lines. Consider these lines when shopping for a new putter. Find a putter that feels good, of course, but also one that’s easy to align. We’re all likely to try something that works well for our playing partners or our favorite Tour player. Don’t fall into that trap. Experiment and find a putter that works for you. It may be something you’d never consider owning.

Mistake #3: Bad Reads
Green reading is a tough area of the game to teach. It takes practice. It takes experience. But even golfers with long playing careers fail to judge the appropriate break because they look for break in all the wrong places. Most focus solely on the area around the hole.

True,_Ê the ground around the cup will influence the roll, but don’t forget about other break influences, such as the area where your ball lies or collection areas off the green. Look for drainage areas. If the course sits near a large geographical landmark (an ocean, mountain, etc.), keep in mind that these will greatly affect break. Plan accordingly.

Mistake #4: Poor Stance
Putting is personal, and you should adopt a stance that provides the most comfort. But I suggest you follow the stance fundamentals pictured here. If you do, you’ll be in a lot better position to make the kind of stroke that produces the truest roll and putts that stay true to the line.

Don’t make the mistake of making comfort and ease your primary concern when putting.

Mistake #5: Right Shoulder Stops
Contrary to public opinion, the putterhead should release along the target line, much like your iron or driver head does in the full swing. This release is a natural reaction to the putterhead accelerating through impact and moving the ball along the intended line. One of the reasons why golfers fail to accelerate is that they stop the movement of their right shoulder after impact.

To properly accelerate and release the putterhead, the right shoulder must continue to move down the target line following contact. If you stop your right shoulder, your right hand will take over and lift up the putterhead and increase the chance of striking the top half of the golf ball, producing more skid than roll.

Senior Instruction Editor Marshall Smith has taught the game of golf for more than 50 years. He currently instructs at Miami Country Club and Peoria Ridge Golf Club in northeastern Oklahoma.

Sweet Spot: Ernie Els

To say that Ernie Els is one of the greatest golfers of our generation is about as gutsy as laying up from 150 yards. Already a three-time major winner (’94 and ’97 U.S. Opens, ’02 British Open), Els has notched 42 professional victories worldwide (12 on the PGA Tour) in just over a decade. More impressive, Els has 11 second-place finishes to his credit, including four runner-up calls in the majors. Often dubbed The Big Easy, Els is certainly big (6’3, 220 pounds) and his swing is ridiculously effortless. It’s a study of contrasts, as he generates power not by his obvious size, but by employing the proper sequence of downswing moves. Here’s how he does it.

1. Perfect Path
As Els approaches the golf ball, his left shoulder rocks up while his right shoulder remains low. This slight raising of the left shoulder allows him to keep his head behind the ball through impact and his arms to work down the correct path. If the shoulders are level through the hitting area, it becomes nearly impossible to swing along the correct inside-out path.

2. Swing The Club
This image is a single moment in time, captured during Els’ record-setting weekend at the Mercedes Championships. But it’s part of a chain reaction–a result of all that’s occurred before it. You simply can’t work at the approach position. The key, like Els demonstrates swing after swing, is to control the clubhead by swinging it, not guiding it. Trust your mechanics and let impact happen.

3. Tempo
Els’ effortless power results from his ability to successfully combine the rotary action of the hips with a very good arm swing. Most recreational players tend to err on too much hip action, forgetting that, in the end, the arms and hands are what propel the golf club into the back of the ball and beyond. Synchronizing the lower and upper body generates power along with control of the golf club.

4. In Balance
One thing all good golf swings have in common is balance. This can’t be stressed enough. Good balance starts from the ground up, and Els certainly accomplishes this as he adopts a wide, solid base from which to swing. Throughout the backswing and downswing, Els strives to maintain this base. Even as he approaches impact, his right foot is still down with just a slight roll. This shows his knees and hips aren’t overactive; they’re serving correctly as stabilizers.

5. Pivotal Moment
Like all good ballstrikers, Els braces his left knee. This posting up allows his hips to rotate open through the hitting zone (they’ll ultimately face the target at the finish). Open hips give the arms the room they need to extend out through the shot. If the hips remain closed or don’t rotate at all, expect your shots to travel much shorter than they would otherwise.

PGA professional, top-100 instructor and Golf Tips_¨ Senior Instruction Editor Glenn Deck operates the Glenn Deck Golf Academy at Pelican Hill Golf Club and Resort in Newport Coast, Calif. (www.pelicanhill.com).

Correct Calls

You’re in the middle of the fairway, 150 yards from the flagstick. Perfect 7-iron, you say to yourself, after which you promptly sail the ball over the pin–and over the green. What happened? Likely, you only gave yourself a fraction of the data you needed to select the right club for the shot at hand.

Producing the correct distance for a given shot on the golf course requires more than a passing glance at the yardage posted on the nearest sprinkler head. Part of playing good golf is knowing how to factor in the pin placement, the lie, elevation changes, course conditions and the wind to select the right club to knock it stiff. Even if conditions are benign, we’re often simply between clubs and, therefore, you need to know either how to add or subtract a few yards to reach the target. Considering all possible factors to control the overall distance of a shot gives you confidence over the ball–and executing shots under pressure is easier when confidence runs high.

Normal Conditions
One More, One Less
There are other factors that may contribute to your decision to take one less club or choose one more when you’re stuck in the middle. Here’s a list of circumstances that may help push you in one direction or another so you can pull off the shot.

Conditions That Favor Using One Less Club:
-No obstacle to carry in front of the green.
-The flagstick is toward the front of the green.
-You’re downwind, or face other course/weather conditions listed above that require less club.
-You always play with a little power in reserve and can call up a little extra zip when you need it.
-You’re a more skilled golfer, hit the ball solid most of the time and have the ability to shape or curve shots when necessary.
-You’re coming down the stretch in contention with adrenaline pumping.

Conditions That Favor Using One More Club:
-The trouble is short of the green and a shot that flies farther wouldn’t jeopardize a good score as much as one that pulls up short.
-The flagstick is toward the back of the green and the hole layout will accept a shot that comes in low and running.
-You’re hitting into the wind or have other course/weather conditions that require more club.
-You’re a swinger with a smooth, even tempo.
-You’re a lesser-skilled golfer who tends to come up short of the green in many cases.

Trisect The Green
To begin to sharpen your distance control from tee to green, it’s important to establish just how far you hit each of your clubs under normal conditions–or when there’s little or no wind, the course is dry and the lie is good and flat. Golf is an easier game if you know how far, on average, a particular club carries in the air and how far it rolls once it hits the ground. For example, a less-lofted iron (4- or 5-iron) will roll more than a wedge or 9-iron once it hits the green. To determine the carry and roll distance of your clubs, plan to play a practice round during a nonpeak time on the course–early evening is a good time–where you can hit two or three shots with the same club into a green.

Notice where the pitch mark is on the green, then pace off the distance from the pitch mark to the ball and arrive at an average carry and roll. When you get to the next hole, choose a different club and take an average of two or three shots. Once you know how far the ball travels under normal conditions, you can begin to make educated decisions about club selection under whatever conditions the course dishes out. If a practice round of this type isn’t possible, make some notes during your rounds of carry/roll distances with your clubs, or enlist the help of a laser rangefinder.

_Ê
On all holes, the flagstick location will either be in the front, middle or back portion of the green. The average green is about 30 yards deep, and golf clubs are designed with lofts that produce roughly a 10-yard difference between clubs. That means that there are up to three club possibilities from one position in the fairway, depending on the flagstick location.

The first order of business is to determine the yardage to the flag, not merely to the middle of the green. For example, the sprinkler head right next to your ball indicates you have 150 yards to the middle of the green, but the flagstick is in the back third of the green. If you normally hit a 7-iron a total of 150 yards, then you should choose a 6-iron.

Turn On The Wind Changes
How does the club selection change if you add 30 mph of wind? Playing into the wind is difficult–even for the best players. Tournament scores are always higher on windy days. In order to select the right club in the wind, apply the Ten Miles Per Hour rule. Take one more club (or one less) for each 10 mph of wind speed. For example, if you have 150 yards to the flag (7-iron) and you’re hitting dead into a 30 mph wind, you should use a 4-iron to hit the shot. It’s the correct play because a less-lofted club will help keep the ball low and out of the wind and, because you’re taking plenty of club, you can execute a smooth, controlled swing to produce solid contact and less spin to guard against the ball ballooning up into the wind.

If you’re downwind with this shot, use a pitching wedge and trust the wind to carry it farther without trying to swing harder. A crosswind doesn’t affect your club selection as much. Simply play the wind to your advantage by hitting the ball into the wind and letting it work back to the target.

Elevation Changes
Common sense dictates that an uphill shot requires more club and a downhill shot requires less club. The problem is that sometimes we tend to forget to take a change in elevation into account–especially if it isn’t dramatic or we don’t have a benchmark as to how elevation influences club selection.

As a general rule, select one more (or one less) club for every 10 feet of elevation change. For example, if you’ve got 150 yards to the flag (7-iron), and you estimate the target is about 10 feet below where you’re standing, use an 8-iron for the shot._Ê

Weather & Course Conditions
Again, this may seem like common sense, but the weather and the condition of the course also affect the carry and roll of your golf shots. In addition to being downwind, the ball flies farther than normal from level terrain if: 1) you’re playing well above sea level (starting about 5,000 feet); 2) the temperature is hot; 3) the air is dry; and 4) the ground is hard.

The ball won’t travel as far as normal when: 1) the grass is wet and the ground is soft; 2) the humidity is high; and 3) it’s either cold or raining.

Experienced golfers have a gut feeling for how much the course and weather conditions affect their shots and whether the conditions require a half or a whole club difference.

The Truth About Lies
The lie of your ball should also be considered as you prepare to hit a shot. In general, the lies that will require you to take at least one more club are the following:
-The ball is halfway or more down in the rough.
-The ball is in a divot.
-The lie is uphill (this lie tends to add loft).
-The ball is below your feet (this one tends to fade, so you’ll need to aim little left and play the left-to-right shot).

The lies that require at least one less club are the following:
-The ball is on top of the rough (a flyer lie that produces less-than-normal ball spin and more roll).
-The ball is on a downhill lie (this lie tends to reduce the effective loft of the club).
-The ball is above your feet (the ball tends to fly to the left, and a hooking ball travels farther than a straight or fading one).

No Man’s Land
Using the guidelines above for club selection is all well and good, but you may still arrive at a yardage that puts you right in the middle of two clubs. For example, your tee shot puts you 150 yards from the flag. You have a 10 mph wind in your face (plus one club) and the shot is slightly downhill (minus 5 yards), which gives you a total of 155 yards to the target. The 155-yard distance puts you right in the middle of your 7-iron (which you hit a solid 150 yards) and your 6-iron (which travels 160 yards on average). Welcome to the tweener.

Now, you have a decision to make. Do you hit the 7-iron in a fashion that will produce a few extra yards, or do you make some adjustments to hit the 6-iron a few yards less? In order to handle a situation that puts you in the middle of two clubs, you need to know how to gear down to hit a particular club five yards less, and also how to take the more lofted club and squeeze an extra five yards out of it.

Getting An Extra 5-10 Yds
There are a few setup and swing adjustments that are required if you need to squeeze extra yardage out of a particular club. To set up for more distance, take a slightly wider stance than you would normally to provide the solid base that’s required to make a bigger, more powerful golf swing. The ball position should be one inch back of standard, which will move your hand position well in front of the golf ball. Not only does this create a more descending blow, but moving the ball back in your stance changes the effective loft of your 7-iron into that of a 6-iron. All that’s left to do is to add a little extra speed to your swing.

To get the clubhead traveling a little faster, you need to create a longer backswing with an increase in the amount of arm swing and body turn. Not only must the swing be a little longer, but you need to pick up the pace of your swing to increase clubhead speed as well. The pace of the forwardswing should be slightly faster than normal. Most experienced golfers, and certainly the pros, have a little power in reserve when hitting their normal golf shots, so stepping up the speed a notch is no problem for them.

Another factor in getting yardage above normal is related to the type of spin created by the type of shot you hit. The sidespin created by drawing the golf ball–a shot that curves from right to left–will generally have a more boring trajectory and will land a little hotter than normal, running a few extra yards after it lands.

Drawing the golf ball is best accomplished by altering your setup and simply making your normal golf swing. Place the ball slightly back of normal at address, aiming the clubface where you want the ball to end up while you align your body to the right–or the direction the ball should start. This closed stance sets up the required in-to-out path, and if the clubface is aimed at the target correctly, it will be closed relative to the path. The grip pressure in both hands should remain light to encourage the clubface to close a little sooner through the hitting area to impart drawspin on the golf ball.

Taking Off 5-10 Yds
There are times when taking a little extra club and learning to control the distance so the golf ball won’t travel quite as far makes a lot of sense. In fact, this may be the best option for a lesser-skilled player until ballstriking becomes a little more consistent. Taking more club is a good idea for higher-handicapped players because these golfers tend to bank on hitting their shots more solidly than they generally do, so consequently, they often don’t take enough club even for normal shots.

To hit the ball a little shorter than you typically do, grip down one to two inches on the handle and make the length of the backswing and the forwardswing feel about three-quarters. The pace and tempo of the whole swing–hands, arms and body–should be slightly slower than normal. The swing should feel very smooth, but guard against deceleration or quitting on the shot. Teeing the ball up a little higher on tee shots will make the trajectory of the shot higher, fly a little shorter and land softer with less roll.

Just as drawing the golf ball will allow for a few added yards, hitting a fade–a shot that curves from left to right–will subtract a few yards. A fade imparts sidespin much like an undercut tennis shot that drops over the net and stops dead.

To set up to hit a fade, position the ball slightly forward in your stance. With the clubface aimed in the direction the ball should finish, align your body left of the target line or in the direction the ball should start. This open stance will encourage the desired out-to-in path necessary to fade the golf ball, and the clubface will be open relative to your body alignments. Firm up the grip pressure a little in both hands to keep the clubface from closing too soon through the hitting area.

Are You A Hitter Or A Swinger?
For a tweener shot, Greg Norman would take one less club. Ernie Els would take one more. Greg hits it hard, is generally an aggressive player and can easily manufacture five to 10 more yards out of a particular club when necessary. Ernie Els, on the other hand, has a slower tempo and is a swinger of the golf club. He’d do better at making some adjustments to reduce the regular yardage produced with a certain club to hit it five to 10 yards less.

Examine which type of golfer you are and decide what strategy best suits your particular style of play. You may find that this ingredient will sway you in one direction or another when you land between clubs.

Remember, it’s not important what type of golfer you are. What matters is the quality of your shots. If you learn which factors influence distance and direction, the quality of your shots will skyrocket.

Distance Control Drill
Practice distance control by hitting three clubs the same distance on the practice range. Choose a flag on the range with a yardage that corresponds to the distance you normally hit one of your middle irons.

Say you’ve chosen a 150-yard target, which is a perfect 7-iron distance. Hit five 7-irons to the flag. Then choose a 6-iron, making the appropriate setup and swing adjustments, and hit five shots to the same 150-yard target.

Finally, try hitting an 8-iron to the same target, using the setup and swing techniques necessary to get a little more distance than normal. Make note of your success with each series of balls. One approach or the other will best suit your style of golf and afford the best opportunity to hit the ball next to the flagstick.

Senior Instruction Editor and 1999 PGA Teacher of the Year Mike McGetrick owns and operates the McGetrick Golf Academy, located outside Denver, Colo. Mike coaches golfers of all levels, including players on the PGA and LPGA Tours who have a combined total of 40 worldwide wins and 9 Major Championships. Mike is proud to have coached five players on the victorious 12-member 2002 Solheim Cup team. LPGA Class A member and author Lana Ortega is a lead instructor at the Academy (www.mcgetrickgolf.com).

The Chicken Swing

Most teachers will instruct you to fold your left arm into your left side during your followthrough so your hands and arms can release the clubhead down the target line. That’s certainly good advice, but at times, especially in pressure-packed situations where you absolutely have to hit the ball onto the green with an iron or drive it into the center of the fairway off the tee, not folding your left arm into your side can pay huge dividends.

Allowing your left arm to remain bent into the followthrough is known as chicken-winging. Typically, it’s a move associated with a lower-level swing and can produce a variety of poor shots. However, when used in the hands of an expert shotmaker, the chicken-wing swing is a low-risk, high-reward option.

The chicken swing is a shot made famous by Lee Trevino, and is often used by many of today’s golf superstars, including Tiger Woods. Nick Faldo employed the chicken swing to win the 1992 British Open at Muirfield, where he hit the final 18 greens in regulation and bested John Cook by a single stroke. Faldo, aware of the tremendous pressure he’d face during Sunday’s final round, practiced the chicken swing long in advance of the tournament to groove what may not have been the prettiest motion in the world, but one that was laser-accurate on demand. If you want to take it low like the pros do when the heat is on, put some range work into the chicken swing–it’s a delicacy under pressure.

The Technique
To hit the chicken swing, use one more club than normal and aim slightly left of your target. The key, on the backswing, is to stop at three-quarters. The downswing key is to shuttle your hips toward the target to begin your move back to the ball and then rotate them out of the way to give your arms room to return to the front of your body at impact. Since you don’t want the toe of your club to pass over the heel, keep your right wrist bent just as it was at address throughout the entire swing. If you can retain this wrist angle, you should finish with your hands in front of your chest and your clubface looking at the sky.

The critical ingredient of the chicken swing is to stop the rotation of your forearms postimpact by allowing your left elbow to float up and away from your side as you clear your hips through the hitting zone. This will keep your clubface slightly open to the target well past impact. The shot will fly lower than normal because you’ve taken an extra club, but a soft left-to-right sidespin will help the ball stop as if hit on its normal arc.

A word of caution: If you allow both elbows to chicken wing, you’re likely to contact the ball on the neck of your club. Therefore, as your left elbow drifts away from your left side through the hitting area, keep your right elbow as close to your right side as possible.

Final Keys
To pull off this shot, you must keep rotating your body to ensure that your clubhead lags behind the hands through impact. If you stop your body rotation, the clubhead will shoot past the shaft and cause the face to move off-line. Remember, even though the chicken swing is a dead-arm motion, it doesn’t mean the arms should move slowly or, worse, stop. It’s simply a case of them not rotating or turning over as they do during a regular swing.

Wrong Wing, Wrong Swing
The incorrectly executed chicken wing finds the shoulders spinning to start the downswing, but the hips and lower body lagging behind. This forces the club out toward the target line, resulting in a weak sideswipe at impact. For most high-handicappers, the chicken wing is the bane of their games, but if used correctly and on-call, it can stop the ball from going left–the mistake most good players fear.

The reasons why average players have trouble with the chicken swing is: 1) they don’t do it correctly, and 2) they don’t do it on purpose. The chart below shows the differences.

_ÊChicken Swing	_Ê	_Ê
_Ê	Incorrect	Correct
_ÊBackswing	Too long	_ÊThree-quarters, under control
_ÊDownswing Initiation	Shoulder spin	_ÊWeight transfer to front hip
_ÊWeight	_ÊHangs on right side	_ÊLateral hip shift moves weight to left side
_ÊArms	_ÊOutrace the body	Drop downward in sync with body
_ÊPath	_ÊOutside-in	Inside-out
_ÊRight Wrist	_ÊLoses its angle	Retains its angle through impact
_ÊLeft Wrist	_ÊCollapses (flips) toward the target	Remains in-line with forearm (no flipping)
_ÊElbows	Both chicken-wing	_ÊLeft chicken-wings, right stays tucked to hip
Face Position	Open or closed, producing erratic results	Slightly open, producing consistent results

PGA professional Dr. T.J. Tomasi is regarded as one of the top 100 teachers in America. He instructs at Pistol Creek Golf Club located outside Hartford, Conn.

Drop 5 Strokes

Instead of taking advantage of clear scoring opportunities from less than full-wedge distances, most recreational golfers unnecessarily struggle, often needing additional strokes to get the ball into the hole following a poor approach. Not only does this situation work to balloon your scores, it robs you of the momentum you might have gained had you made par or birdie._Ê Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. Over the next several pages, you’ll find an easy-to-follow guide to hitting crisp and accurate approaches from short distances with varying wedges. If you can learn these techniques and put them into play when the situations present themselves on the course, you’ll be in position to shave a good three to five strokes off your score and keep positive momentum active throughout your round.

Distance Challenge
The key to mastering short approaches is to learn how to hit the ball different distances with different clubs. Shots hit with a shorter or longer backswing and with more or less clubhead loft will exhibit trajectory characteristics that are better suited for some situations than others. For example, the 65-yard shot with a full lob wedge may not be the best play into a wind or if there’s plenty of green with which to work. Instead, the 65-yard play with half-pitching wedge will give you more control and likely a greater chance at getting close to the hole.

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Shot	PW (46__-48__)	SW (54__-56__)	LW (58__-60__)
1/4	45 yards	30 yards	20 yards
1/2	65 yards	45 yards	30 yards
3/4	85 yards	65 yards	45 yards
Full	105 yards	85 yards	65 yards

The Clubs
1/4
With your stance narrowed to a quarter of its normal width and your hands placed 1.5 inches from the top of the grip, swing the club back to a point where your left arm crosses your right pants pocket. Allow your wrists to naturally hinge. From here, swing the club to impact with an accelerating move.

1/2
Address a half-wedge shot by cutting your stance in half and by gripping down on the club a full inch. Swing the club back until your left arm is parallel to the ground. Don’t forget to coil onto your rear leg on the backswing, and to allow your body to uncoil as you bring the club back to the ball and into the finish.

3/4
With a slightly narrowed stance and your hands placed a half-inch from the top of the grip, make a three-quarters backswing. From the top, execute a normal turn back toward the golf ball, making sure to line up everything at impact. Your swing should finish at three-quarters without the need to consciously halt its motion.

Full
A solid wedge full swing exhibits the elements of any full swing, including a full turn of the shoulders against the lower body, a shift in weight rearward on the backswing and toward the front leg on the downswing, and a natural release of the clubhead. Keep your hands ahead of the face to keep shots from ballooning.

Players struggle on less than full-wedge shots for two basic reasons. First, they lack an understanding of the correct technique and, second, they fail to practice from different distances. Understanding the correct technique begins with understanding loft. In the 1970s, the standard loft on a pitching wedge was 50 degrees. On the sand wedge, it was 56 degrees, effectively creating a six-degree gap between the two. Today’s standard for most pitching wedges is 47 to 48 degrees. The stronger pitching wedge lofts have created a larger gap between modern pitching wedges and the standard 56-degree sand wedge. My advice to players is to add a lob wedge with 60 degrees of loft and a sand wedge with 54 degrees of loft. This switch creates the desired six-degree gap among your highest-lofted clubs.

The Setup
The technique to hit less than full-wedges begins with the setup. The first adjustment is to grip down on the golf club. Specifically, a player should grip down one-half inch for every 25 percent they would like to reduce the distance of their shot (measure the amount you grip down on the club from your palm, not your pinkie). The reason behind gripping down on the golf club is that it decreases clubhead speed without your having to swing the club any slower. Usually, when a golfer tries to hit the ball soft, he or she will decelerate and hit the shot fat. Gripping down also allows the player to stand closer to the ball while maintaining the same posture, thus making it easier to contact the ball with a descending blow.

The Swing
The next adjustment the player should make is to narrow his or her stance. The percentage of stance width that should be narrowed should be equal to the percentage you wish to reduce the length of your shot. For instance, if you’re hitting a half wedge, then you should stand with half the width of your normal stance. Narrowing the stance is important because doing so facilitates a proper weight shift when shortening the backswing. Think about it this way: With a shorter swing, it takes less time to swing the club to the top. Consequently, you have less time to coil onto your back leg. The only way to complete this coil with shorter backswing lengths, yet maintain proper tempo, is to narrow the width of your stance.

Once you’ve made the setup adjustments of gripping down and narrowing the stance in proportion to the length of the desired shot, the only thing left to do is to shorten the backswing. The key to shortening the swing is to focus on the left arm. For instance, to hit a half wedge, the left arm should be halfway back, or parallel to the ground. (Same goes for quarter- and three-quarter-length shots). Since many players haven’t practiced shortened swings, they lack the awareness of where the backswing stopping point lies. Those players need to rehearse and feel these positions until they’re aware of where they are in the backswing.

Once you complete your backswing, regardless of length, there’s only one thing left to do: accelerate. The most common mistake in mid-wedge play is deceleration. Most players have too wide a stance, too much club and too long a backswing to hit their shortened wedge shots. When one or any combination of these mistakes exist, the natural reaction is to slow down, since you instinctually know you have too much club or completed too big a backswing. The typical results are fat and thin shots.

Shot Guide

_Ê

Technique	3/4 Shot	1/2 Shot	1/4 Shot
Grip Down	1/2 in.	1 in.	1 1/2 in.
Stance	3/4	1/2	1/4
Backswing	3/4	3/4	1/4
Finish	Full	85 yards	1/2

By practicing quarter-, half- and three-quarter shots with each wedge in the bag, you’ll be able to accurately gauge the distance for each shot. The distances in-between will ultimately become a matter of feel. Players who haven’t practiced their quarter-, half- and three-quarter shots leave too much margin for feel, often having no real idea how far back to swing the club for their given shot. That player will always struggle to control their distance and will certainly lack the needed confidence.

One other benefit of practicing and developing this system for your wedge play is that once your distances are defined, you’ll be able to hit wedge shots the same distance, but with different trajectories. This gives you multiple shotmaking options. For instance, on one hole you may have a 65-yard shot to a back pin into a stiff wind, so you opt to hit a little more than a half-wedge. On the next hole, you turn downwind, but have the same 65 yards to a tucked pin, so you opt to hit a fuller lob wedge. These are fine points you can develop once you’ve built your base system.

The bottom line is that if you put the time into working on this system, you’ll learn to be able to control the distance and trajectory of the ball for all your wedge shots that are less than full. When you’re on the course and you’ve figured out the distance you want to carry the ball, you’ll be able to choose a shot that gives you the best access to the pin, given the conditions. Most of all, when you’re standing over the shot, you’ll have confidence because you’ve had the benefit of practice and, more importantly, experience. The final outcome is that you’ll save more pars and, hopefully, have a few more birdie chances.

PGA professional and top-100 instructor Todd Sones operates Todd Sones Impact Golf Schools at White Deer Run GC outside Chicago, Ill. (847-549-8678, www.toddsones.com)

Score From Anywhere

Regardless of how good your golf swing is or how crisply you strike the ball, you won’t post good scores if you don’t know how to think your way around a golf course—to score from anywhere.

Obviously, solid technique helps, as does driving the ball long and straight. But throughout the course of a round, there are a variety of situations in which fundamentally solid golf skills simply won’t get the job done. Instead, you must be able to rely on good decision-making to put yourself in position to shoot the lowest score possible without risking double and triple bogeys. Many of the following tips might not seem earth-shattering at first glance, but in time they’ll save you a fair number of strokes. And I know from my personal playing experience that sometimes just a couple of shots here or there can make all the difference.

Tee Smart

While the views from Scotland’s seaside links can be magnificent, shooting good scores can be difficult. Due to the typically windy conditions, shot and club selection are at a premium. Depending on which direction the wind is blowing and the shape of the target area, even a little thing like which part of the tee box you hit from can save a couple of strokes. In most instances, play with the wind rather than against it. If it’s blowing left to right, for example, favor the left side of the teeing area.

Low Rider: Swing Smooth

One of the most common mistakes made by golfers when attempting to drive the ball low is overswinging. Typically, a faster, more powerful swing, especially with a low-lofted club like the driver, will produce higher spin rates and shots that balloon up into the wind. Obviously, on a downwind shot, this technique can be desirable. But when you need to hit a more piercing, low-trajectory drive, the key is not to overswing. I recommend positioning the ball slightly back in your stance (more toward the middle of your body, instead of off the left foot) and making a smooth, body-driven swing. By swinging smoothly, with your arms as loose as possible, you’ll be able to take some of the spin off the ball, which helps to keep it low and under the wind. Notice how my hands are clearly ahead of the ball and clubhead as I approach impact. This shows that I’ve taken an abbreviated backswing, with the intention of simply returning the clubhead to the ball as smoothly and effortlessly as possible.

Short Stop

A smooth, easy tempo is critical to producing low, boring drives, but reducing the length of the backswing is also key. Not only does a shorter backswing help take some of the speed off the clubhead, but it promotes more solid impact, which is an absolute must when playing shots into the wind.

Pitch Shot Over Bunker: Don’t Flip Out

This is a situation that every golfer has faced at least once in their playing career: a shot over a bunker from a tight lie. The key here is not to try to flip the clubhead at the ball through impact, which leads to skulled, thin shots that either shoot over the green or straight into the bunker. Instead, keep your hands ahead of the clubhead at impact and remember to maintain a normal tempo.

Pitching over a bunker from a tight lie can be further complicated by a tailwind. The most important thing is to pick a target that will allow you to clear the bunker, while still providing enough room to keep the ball on the green. Once you’ve picked your target, forget about the flag and just hit the shot.

Wind Cheat: Low and Slow

Hitting an iron shot into the wind from a tightly mown fairway can be a tough task. However, with the proper technique, it’s relatively simple. Start by placing the ball well back in your stance to promote solid contact. Depending on the wind, you’ll want to select at least one, if not two or three extra clubs than usual (to further help keep the ball low). Then concentrate on a slow, smooth takeaway and try to return the club to the address position. After some practice, you’ll be surprised how easily and consistently this shot bores through the wind.

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Lag Putting: Don’t Blow It

Every golfer knows the effect wind can have on drives and approach shots, but putts can be strongly influenced by wind as well. Indeed, one of the toughest shots you can face in windy conditions is a lengthy lag putt with a significant side wind. In these situations, I like to select a target to the right or left of the hole (depending on the wind) and concentrate solely on that spot. When I strike the putt, I pay no attention to the actual hole, but simply roll the ball to my target hole, allowing the wind to take it toward the cup.

Let It Fly: Shoot The Breeze

On approach shots over hazards, the wind can actually be your friend. When possible, opt to hit shots that take advantage of the wind instead of those that try to fight its effects.

Here, I’m hitting into a left-to-right wind, with a bunker on the right and some long grass in front of the green. Instead of trying to draw the ball in low, against the wind, I almost always choose to ride the wind. In this case, the smart thing to do is aim well left of the target and hit a straight, solid shot with a nice, high follow-through. This will shoot the ball up into the wind and allow it to blow the shot over the hazards and safely onto the green.

High Irons: Play It Up

When golf instructors talk about playing shots in the wind, they almost always focus on playing the ball low. There are some situations, however, like when you have a tailwind, when it’s best to play the ball high and exploit the wind. In these cases, I recommend positioning the ball more forward in your stance, close to your left instep. Instead of taking an abbreviated backswing, allow yourself to make a full swing. When you reach impact, stay back and let your arms extend fully through the ball. The shot should rise quickly off the clubface and attain enough altitude to take full advantage of the wind.

Pitch Shot: High vs. Low

To execute the high pitch, select a lofted wedge and position the ball slightly forward in your stance. A high, balanced finish will allow you to carry the ball onto the green. To play the low shot, which I recommend most of the time, position the ball back in your stance and use a less-lofted club. Finish with your hands relatively low, and let the ball feed to the hole.

Downhill: Use Your Head

On downhill approaches like this, it’s always tempting to fly the ball to the hole. In this case, however, I suggest playing a high-percentage, low shot toward the middle of the green. Select one more club, and make an abbreviated backswing with minimal wrist cock. Don’t be afraid to put the ball on a tee—you’ll still be able to hit it low.

Bunker Play: Great Escapes

For a high bunker shot, open the clubface and aim it at your landing area, while you point your feet well left of the target. Take a longer backswing, and allow the club to pull your arms into a nice, high finish. The ball will come out high and should land softly.

Just as is the case with greenside pitches, bunker shots can be played either high or low. To hit a low, running bunker shot, keep the clubface square at impact and finish with a low followthrough. When you play this shot, remember to allow for a substantial amount of roll.

Scottish PGA professional John Kelly teaches in Fife, Scotland.

Editor’s note: This story was updated September, 2019